Straight Parent, Gay Kid
Who is Caitlin Ryan?
You May Not Know Her Name, But Her Work Has Enlightened ParentsCaitlin Ryan is a clinical social worker with a Ph.D. She lives in San Francisco and is a lesbian. If her name sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because she, an Irish Catholic, was the focus of an article in the New York Times, September 13,…
Don’t Overlook Grandparents’ Support
Today is National Grandparents Day. In terms of supporting a family with a GLBTQ child, grandparents can play a major role.Who better than the experienced and enlightened grandparent whose advancing years have mellowed attitudes about everything: “seen and done it all?” Parents Too Close For Objectivity? While the parents, like many, may react with fear,…
How to Find a Gay-Friendly Therapist
You’re worried. Your gay child seems more than moody. Or your lesbian daughter seems more withdrawn and her weight is fluctuating. Your LGBT child is dreading school– another year of bullying. Beware of Conversion Therapy You think he/she may need a therapist, but you’re read that some mental health professionals try to convert their LGBT…
Tolerance Begins At Home
Homelessness A Big Problem For LGBTQ Kids Next time you’re in a big city like New York and you see kids as young as 12 living on the street, in the subways, you may think they’re penniless, drop-outs from school or e.) all of the above. Chances are they are “throwaways,” GLBTQ kids (gay, lesbian,…
The Bird Cage Still Relevant, 8 Years Later
Last week, I watched the hilarious “The Bird Cage” for the umpteenth time. Based on the play, “La Cage Aux Folles,” it’s a screwball comedy of gay characters trying to pass as straight for a dinner meeting with an Ohio Senator who finds Billy Graham too liberal and is a Vice –President of the Coalition…
Testing The Undereducated
CDC’s Recent Sexual Orientation Survey Has Flaws In the July 22 article in The New York Times entitled “Questions of Orientation,” http://New York Times/7/22/14/Questions of Orientation, Jan Hoffman writes about the inadequacies of gathering information about sexual orientation. For the first time, respondents were asked about their sexual orientation while taking the Centers for Disease…
Introducing Your Gay Partner To Your Straight Parents?
When Is A Good Time? After a long, cold winter, it’s finally summer. Time for long weekends or a week’s or two’s vacation at the beach with friends or the annual family reunion at the lake? You want your significant other to share these times with you. Being in the throes of the new relationship,…
National Blame Someone Else Day, July 13, 2014
Don’t We Blame More Often? Human nature seems to dictate that it is much easier to blame someone else than accept responsibility for your actions that may thwart or disappoint you. Sunday, July 13, is supposedly “Blame Someone Else Day.” I don’t know about you, but I can find myself blaming others for my shortcomings…